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Stuck in a rut

08-21-2009, 10:46 AM

Question. I have a very odd urge the other day of not wanting to do this anymore. It kind of came out of nowhere and I don't understand it. I am making good money, I enjoy the work and its not really hard work so what gives? Anyone ever get in this situation? I almost did just say screw it I quit but thought wait I will sit back and think this over. I worked very hard to get the clients I have and have worked very hard making and keeping them happy so quitting would more than likely be very detrimental to ever trying to start up again. Any advice to get through these times? Maybe its just that things are not moving fast enough for me, On a brighter side Ben Bernanke Says our economy is recovering so that should be good for us in the near future. I am wandering if maybe my problem is that I don't yet have enough work to do this full time therefor I have to work my regular job still and at the same time juggle the kids and there education and family and everything. Maybe this all on top of trying to operate a business is just to much? It doesn't make much sense because this is not my first business venture and I have never had this feeling before but this is the first business venture that is service oriented so maybe that has something to do with it.

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I don't know what brought it on. I was not even working on a yard when it poped into my head. I was simply driving down the road enjoying the AC in my new truck and thought "whats the point" I thought later that its not worth making the money if I don't have time to enjoy it so maybe that has something to do with it but honestly I don't know what happened.

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Is it possible this comes down to the debate of immediate gratification vs. delayed gratification?

You have a fulltime job. You get paid as you go. So why do anything on the side when you are already putting in 40+ hours a week.

Then somewhere in your mind you decide you want to try something different and you start a business on the side to potentially go with fulltime in the future, but in between the time that happens, it takes a lot of your time and you have to wonder is it worth it?

Why delay my gratification when I can have it immediately. I can just keep working and that will work. Sure this side business may pick up in the future but maybe it wont and I am working my *** off trying but I may be wasting my time.

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I am sure many many members of the forum find themselves confronting this issue as well.

Thats what I am hoping. My ideal situation would be to be busy enough to quit my day job and at last work for myself and not rely on the man anymore. It funny, I am getting closer and closer with each day yet I feel I am falling farther and farther back each day.

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Some times I think about why I started a lawn business & I often say I'm wasting my time.

Though I thought over some pointers to why I should continue:

1. I hate school, high school was enough.

2. It's great exercise.

3. You get an awesome tan compared to your friends.

4. It makes you a man! Real men pull their weight & make mountains move.

5. Without challenges, life would shrivel up & become boring, really fast.

6. You have power when working for yourself. This also includes bragging rights!

7. The job is demanding, though it's actually very simple! It's almost hard to believe people pay us to cut their grass!

8. People look up to you for help & answers, you are the boss!

9. Women love us!

10. We are awesome.

__________________
Why I thought that I should stop:

1. There is always a problem, & it's never manageable & will delay you by a long shot.

2. Every day feels like your going to war, so much preparation in order to become a walking piece of sod.

3. You have to chase customers & crew around & basically solve everything for them, "problems" so small it's irritating enough that you just want to smack them out!

4. You organize your business, yet it's never organized. The weather & our busted equipment are the actual bosses. Basically EVERYTHING gets in the way & you can be sabotaged in a heartbeat.

5. You don't get "real" time off. Time off consists of phone calls, customers needing jobs done which drag you back to work. It's great, but it can be a pain. Sometimes you wish customers didn't hire you to do a job, just so you could relax & get back to organizing, though it's a shame because we all want to do the job! If we don't we look bad, & it's someone waving money in our faces, we want it!

6. When we arrive home, we just want to relax. Which can be bad, because it would be nice to have energy to spare for other activities with your friends, etc.

7. We have all the answers, we just don't know how to implement them in our business without being nervous. Basically if we want to raise our prices, what will happen? Will we lose our best customers, will we have to start all over building up our clientele?

8. Days can really suck. If you are sick, injured, your day is going to be a nightmare.

9. You can come home & take a shower, but most of the grass is stuck up your nose & ears. You'll be washing your sheets all the time. Or give up like me & just come home & lay down in my grassy bed, spiders like my bed.

10. You will always imagine better things other than lawn service, though you can't find it, ever!

Anyway, I love my job. It has it's ups & downs. The real down would be disappointing so many customers by not being able to afford doing their lawns. It's a big scare, you can lose money over anything in this business if you don't sleep with one eye open & re-think your thoughts.

The up side is, we are giving it a shot. Something many people do not do. We are owners, not hired help. We have balls... LOL

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4. It makes you a man! Real men pull their weight & make mountains move. I disagree. Why would anyone be less of a man if they sit at a desk all day?Well, a fireman vs a telemarketer, which is more manly? FireMAN, LMAO. I dunno. You know!

5. Without challenges, life would shrivel up & become boring, really fast. Challenges are everywhere. I have a wife and 2 kids. Comparably lawn mowing is a vacation2 kids must be crazy... I guess your right, though I love the challenges in lawn service.

6. You have power when working for yourself. This also includes bragging rights! Power yes, bragging rights I don't knowWell when I'm with friends & one says, "Oh I had a really tough day at work" what do you think? HE had a tough day? PSHHH!!!! hahaha!

8. People look up to you for help & answers, you are the boss! Who? I only have hired help one time but treated them as an equalWell for one, you look up to yourself which is something most people wouldn't do slaving for someone else. :P

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It doesn't make much sense because this is not my first business venture and I have never had this feeling before but this is the first business venture that is service oriented so maybe that has something to do with it.

I think this is a great topic. How does it being a service business effect things than it being another kind of business?

I am getting closer and closer with each day yet I feel I am falling farther and farther back each day.

Why do you feel this is the case? Especially when you feel you are getting closer at the same time?

Steve, Thanks for the lawn school, even if school sucks this one works!

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Make money or get out sounds like something someone working under the table would say. There is a lot more to it if you want to be legitimate.

Steve. Its hard to explain for some reason. My last venture was breeding exotic snakes which started out as a hobby for me. I was fairly successful for several years but sold the business after getting bored with it business and hobby end of it. IMO turning a hobby into a business is the worst thing you can do for your hobby. It soon becomes a drag and not a hobby anymore. Once its not a hobby you find yourself cutting corners because you loose the passion. The other point is equally hard to explain. I have a list of invoices and enough numbers to give me a profit and loss statement. so clearly I am moving forward however at the same time I feel I am further from success than I was a month ago.

Breeze A fast food manager is just as much a man as a Firefighter. Clearly you have not worked in fast food. My first job was at a Taco Bell. After a few more dead end jobs I moved on to fighting fires at the county level. I have to agree the work was more demanding but I eventually moved on to mill work and then implementing entrepreneurship. I saved my badge as an item I worked very hard to earn however I learned a lot of about teamwork and "getting er done" working in fast food. Now I am mowing lawns. I don't lift weights, in fact I don't like pushing a mower so I wuss out and get a tractor. I love my spring assist start on my weed eater and my blower will never allow me to touch a broom again. Hmmmm it seems like I am less of a man mowing lawns than I was serving up Tacos or fighting fires lol. Now that I am done playing on words I understand your analogy, I just never agreed with the "be a real man" frame of thought.

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I wonder if this is a matter of finding happiness. If it is a question of, am I happy doing what I am doing now?

You have tried many things. Is it possible at times you feel this business is not as mentally stimulating or challenging as you would like it to be? Maybe that is part of why it's not potentially really lighting your fire? Maybe as you were out for your drive you were thinking, there has got to be something bigger out there for me. Something better? Something I would enjoy more?